Letters to the editor: May 22

WL annexation plan just cherry-picking

I went to the West Lafayette City Council meeting Monday fully prepared to be in disagreement with my neighbors who are in the annexation zone and don't want to be - I'm not in the annexation zone and do want to be.

However, while I still want to be in the annexation zone, and I do disagree with certain arguments about the desirability of being able to shoot guns off in your yard and burn trash, other arguments made sense. West Lafayette is clearly cherry-picking the areas to be annexed, leaving out trailer parks and other poorer areas to select wealthier neighborhoods and profitable vacant land. The annexation line looks as gerrymandered as a congressional district.

But there are efficiencies to be gained, and I will now forget about annexation and start promoting unigov, the only plan that makes sense for Tippecanoe County/Lafayette/West Lafayette.

Eric Thiel

West Lafayette

Mr. President, the
buck does stop here

Harry Truman coined the phrase, "The buck stops here." If I remember my history lesson, he may even have had a sign on his desk to that effect.

If there is any sign on President Barack Obama's desk, it most likely reads, "The buck stops down the hall."

It would seem that those individuals directly below the president have taken it upon themselves to isolate the president from information that could prove to be an "issue." Or the president has chosen to isolate himself.

In any event, it looks like we will continue to hear, "I did not have that information" or "that information never reached the Oval Office."

However, the real world situation is that if you are in charge, the buck stops with you and the problem is yours to deal with.

Gary Neal

Lafayette

Bahamians outraged by his murder, too

I wish to comment on your article concerning the murder of Attica native Kyle Bruner recently in the Bahamas.

I am a Bahamian, born and bred, who still lives in the Bahamas. I wish the broader public to know that most Bahamians are outraged by this senseless act of cowardice on the part of the perpetrator, and many of us are holding the feet of our government to the fire, in an attempt to bring swift justice in this case and on violent crime in general.

I wish to point out to your vast reading audience that the Bahamas is made up of many small islands. The crime problem is concentrated in the capitol of Nassau, and yes, it is out of control.

However, there are many alternatives on travel to and in the Bahamas, other than Nassau.

I live in the peaceful island chain known as the Abaco Cays, and there is also the chain known as the Exuma Cays. (Cay is derived from the Spanish word cayo, meaning small island.) There are many other island choices where one might go to experience the true Bahamian encounter. A few come to mind: Long Island, Eleuthera, Inagua, San Salvador, etc.

Finally, let me reassure the American public that the Bahamas is still by and large a very peaceful place. Yes, we have a real crime problem in our capital, but we have much more to offer.